Bothell volleyball set to compete at districts

With a set of optimism and a spike of unity, the Bothell High volleyball keeps rolling through the postseason.

The Cougars gutted out a 3-2 victory over Mount Si at home on Oct. 30 to grip fifth place at the 4A KingCo tournament and they continue to reside on the court at the Wes-King district tourney that began on Saturday.

Bothell lost to Glacier Peak, 3-2, at districts and will take on Kamiak at 7 p.m. Tuesday in a loser-out match at home.

Head coach Marlie Davis said her squad (7-13 overall) has succeeded despite facing some adversity this season in the form of injuries, sickness and a “vertically challenged” lineup with its tallest player, freshman Jenna Legault, standing at 5-foot-10.

“If you channel that properly, it can turn into positives,” Davis said. “I think we’ve done a really good job, making sure that we play to our strengths with our serving and our serve receive and our defense.”

Davis praised senior captains Tia Potts, Lizzy Shrum and Faith Brooks for keeping the Cougars on track. Senior Haley Gaw is an aggressive player and brings passion to the court and junior Alyssa Moran is crafty and can get her jump on.

Bothell has improved its game each day and the Cougars are staying united and developing good relationships, said Davis, whose squad beat Woodinville, 3-2, for its other win at the KingCo tourney.

Before the Mount Si match, Brooks and Potts said the team has come together as it pushes toward districts.

“Our record has gotten better and better so I think we’ve really been building up toward the end,” Brooks said. “It’s really exciting for all of us to be able to go into the Wes-King tournament. We’re feeling optimistic that we’re gonna be able to put our best out on the court and see what happens.”

Potts added that they’re “working hard at practice, believing that we could do it.”

On the all-league front, Potts is a second-teamer, and Brooks and Shrum are honorable mentions.